Manifesting
When you know your highest self, you are on your way
to becoming a co-creator of your entire world, learning to manage
the circumstances of your life and participating with assurance
in the act of creation. You literally become a manifester.
—dr. wayne dyer
I’m often asked what manifesting is exactly and if it’s real. Here is the lowdown on manifesting: we create what we think about. This simply means we can bring about good or bad things in our life. If we constantly think about how our boss is going to give us the shittiest jobs, they probably will. Contrary to the negative, if we visualize and see ourselves receiving tasks we enjoy or the types of responsibilities we want to handle, we can create that reality instead. Believing it is possible to manifest what you want is key to actually manifesting what you want. Manifestation, at its core, is the creation of something out of nothing or creating that which we give energy to, and, yes, it’s for real.
Here’s the question: Exactly what can you manifest? Well, pretty much anything. Need a new partner? Manifest it. Need a new job? Manifest it. Need a new car? Manifest it. Need a new home? Manifest that too. Having said this, it doesn’t mean it’s instant. And it doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen. What I’ve discovered is it may take quite a bit of time. It also has to be for our greater good. What does that suggest? Essentially, if it is beneficial to our life’s path, and if it is in line with our lessons, then what we are asking for may come to fruition. If not, it probably won’t.
This can sound a little complicated, so let’s look at it from this perspective. Pretend you decide you want to manifest being a movie star, out of the blue. Sounds great, right? However, what if you graduated with a law degree and are about to help people who otherwise wouldn’t receive the assistance they need? Now, I am not saying you give up your dream for someone else’s. Rather, I suggest you think about whether you’d feel fulfilled in your life with either path. The universe needs all types of people to keep flowing energetically, and for the most part we have freedom of choice, but there is also a reason each and every one of us is here. If being a movie star doesn’t align with your energy, you probably won’t manifest it. Alternatively, if you barely made it through law school and felt a deep pull toward Hollywood your entire life, then there’s a pretty high probability that being on the big screen is more lined up with your destiny.
Understanding what it is we want is usually the first step in manifesting anything. Everyone has their own thing; no two people are the same or want exactly the same things. At any given point in your life your desires will change. What you want can rapidly transform into something entirely different. This should not preclude you from attempting to manifest along the way, though. There are no rules that say you have to manifest only big, life-changing things. You can work on the smaller affairs along the way. Your needs may shift yearly, monthly, weekly, or even daily. It is possible to focus on the little things while you are still trying to figure out what your wishes are for the long term. The good thing about manifestation is it can help you get what you lack in all areas of your life.
How to Manifest Money Using Your Intuition
We all want money and that’s not a bad thing. Money for money’s sake is nothing too special. But what money can do for us or what we can do with it—now that is what makes it amazing. Money does not equate to success, however. It’s what having money represents and the power it can bring that people equate with it. So let’s make some money!
Money comes to us in so many different ways and from so many different sources. When we manifest it, we want to be sure that it flows from a place that doesn’t hurt anyone else or create problems for anyone else. We won’t always know how the money will come to be, but sometimes we do. Here’s an example. One of the most common frustrations is when money comes through an inheritance. It’s one thing if it’s from your great-grandmother who was 100 years old and lived a fabulous life and was ready to go. It’s quite another when your fifty-eight-year-old parent passes unexpectedly, leaving you a decent bank account. Obviously, we don’t want someone to have to die to bring our manifestations to fruition, but for sure be open to manifestation happening in a variety of ways.
Years ago, after I spent way too much on Christmas, I needed to manifest some cash flow. I asked that it hurt no one but that it would come quickly. Sure enough, the next day, my husband and I came home to a busted water heater. Now, immediately I had the negative thoughts—my basement was flooded. My house was going to be ruined. This, added on to already being stretched thin, almost put me over the edge. Until I realized what had happened.
Turns out, there was no lasting damage at all. We called our insurance company and they sent someone out right away, the next day in fact. On top of that, they actually cut us a check for thousands of dollars on the spot. Never in a million years would I have believed that would have happened or that my request to manifest money would have been fulfilled in that way or that quickly.
Believing you can manifest what you want is crucial. So what do you want? What are you hoping for? How much money is enough? What do you want it for? Do you have bills to pay? Do you need a new washing machine? You can start by creating what you need first.
When you achieve those smaller things first, it will give you confidence to go for the big asks.
Try This!
Focus in on what you want—whether it’s a specific dollar amount for something or just a little extra spending money is totally up to you. Write it down. Be precise. If you want $100, then write $100. If you want money so you can buy a cup of coffee everyday instead of having to make it, write down how much that would be. If you want to take a trip to the Caribbean, figure out what that will cost, and write that amount down. It’s up to you to know exactly how much you are requesting from the universe.
Then ask for it. Ask the universe to provide you with that specified amount. Along with the amount, set a time frame. Don’t just say “right now.” Be logical. It’s one thing to say money will fall from the heavens and quite another to think it will happen as you are reading this book. Let’s not get too crazy. Be reasonable but state a time frame that will work for you and not cause any undue stress by having to wait too long, especially if it is money you need to pay the rent. Then add that to your dollar amount on your paper.
Once you’ve figured all of that out, you need to thank the universe. I know, I know—you haven’t gotten anything yet. Your expectation and your gratitude are needed to help your manifestation along. Do you think you’ll get everything you want without being gracious? Very rarely will that happen, and even then there will be an eventual price to pay. On top of thanking the universe for essentially granting your wish, thank it for doing so in a healthy, nonlethal, legal way. Uh-huh, legal. You don’t want something falling into your lap that you’ll later get arrested for, and as I said, you don’t want anyone to get hurt or even die for you to get your money, unless it is indeed their time to go.
In order to be thankful, you have to be sure to believe. It can be crazy difficult sometimes to believe that you will be able to effectively create money out of nothing. That is what you’re doing. Remember, though, that it’s not you—it’s the universe, God, your deceased loved ones, and even your guides that are making this happen for you. (Whatever your beliefs are, I usually lump it all together and call it the universe!) You are requesting help and you are worthy of it. Imagine you need money to buy a suit so you can go on a job interview so you can make enough money to pay for a place to live for you and your baby. That is something that, for sure, is worth it. The energy of the universe will provide for you. Believe that. How can you even begin to be a formidable force if you can’t believe there is more to life than what you currently hold in your pocket?
Now, and this is usually the hardest part of manifesting, let it go. Give it up to the universe to make it happen. You’ve requested a specific dollar amount within a specified time frame, hopefully to no one’s detriment. You’ve been extremely grateful, and you believe it will happen. What is better than that? All that’s left now is to wait. Stop thinking about it. Know that help is on the way and your prayers will be answered. You’ve made it happen. You are, after all, worthy.
Okay, okay. I just told you to let it go, right? This is going to sound contradictory. You need to let it go, but—and this is a big but—you need to be present in your life! I am not telling you to focus all your attention on making your manifestation happen. You shouldn’t. What you need to do, though, is participate in your life. You can’t ignore the phenomena that you are presented with. There very well may be mechanisms at work that will show up for you. Don’t disregard them. I’m talking about the stuff that drops in your lap, that comes out of nowhere.
When you manifest, be aware of things that pop up that may assist in making your wishes materialize. If you are asking for more money to come in and then you’re offered a new job with an increased salary, this may be just what you’re looking for. If you want more time to write the great American novel and your hours get cut down at your job, consider this a segue into becoming the author of that book. If you are trying to manifest a new relationship and your friend calls to set you up on a blind date, go! All these things are happening to help you manifest what you want. Consider the new job with the increased salary, be thankful for having your hours reduced, put on your best outfit, and go on that get-together! These opportunities are the universe’s way of bringing about what you are trying to receive. Pay attention and be present in your own life.
Ask for What You Really Want
You’ve just started manifesting, using a defined amount of money for something you need or want. But if you could ask for any amount of money, what would it be? I was teaching a class recently and asked the question, “How much money would you manifest?” The answers varied. Some stated they were asking for just enough to pay their bills for the month, and others wanted to manifest a couple hundred thousand dollars. I had a few who decided two million was a nice round number. And finally, Nelly said ten million. When people questioned her, Nelly replied, “Well, why the hell wouldn’t I ask for ten?” It made the entire class question their own requests.
How much is enough? If you need a raise at work, is a quarter enough? Should that be all you ask for, or should you ask for more? When you want to get ahead in business, you need to believe it is possible and that you are worth it. Manifesting should be realistic, but you needn’t hesitate to go after what you want. How much is actually enough? The answer is simple—what you will settle for is enough, because that’s all you are willing to manifest. Are you limiting what you are manifesting because you don’t believe you deserve more, need more, or will get more?
I am with Nelly—ask for it all! Start manifesting it. Your thoughts will direct what you receive. Reach for the stars, right?
When we are young, we are told we can be anything, do anything, and have anything we want. Why, as adults, do we begin limiting ourselves? Why, when we can manifest virtually anything, would we put a cap on it? Possibly more to the point, who decides what that cap is? It’s on you, in essence, to decide what is enough for you. Only you can determine what you deserve. Believing all you’ll get is a quarter is exceptionally self-restrictive. You are curbing the universe’s desire to help you out before it’s even allowed to begin. You, probably unintentionally, put constraints on what you’re worth. Maybe it’s because you don’t feel you deserve it, or it may simply be that you’re too polite to want more. But, come on, in order to succeed, you need to have a sense of self-worth; otherwise, it is like a complete contradiction.
It is up to you to set the boundaries of what you desire. It is on you to determine how much or how little is enough. Don’t listen to your friend Madge, who tells you it’s bullshit and you have to work really hard to get money. Don’t listen to your last bad relationship when your partner told you that you would never have anything because you’re not worth it. And, definitely, without a doubt, don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you don’t deserve it. Instead, listen to me, an absolute stranger, who can tell you with complete and utmost certainty, that you are, without a doubt, deserving and worthy of every dime you are trying to manifest.
Steve Jobs, creator of Apple and other companies, knew about manifestation. He said, “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 8 Take that, naysayers! It is the truth, and you will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Manifesting money is really the beginning—there is so much more you can focus on. Imagine seeing a car that you really want. Maybe it’s a sleek sportscar, low stance, clean, sharp lines. You can see the color, silver, which conjures up thoughts of a silver bullet. Because of this imagery, you just know this car is fast, and that’s exactly what you want. The inside has to be just as cool as the outside, right? There is a leather interior, and it’s probably a six-speed, because even if you don’t already know how to drive stick, you’d learn for this car. It’s got a back seat, but that’s mostly just for show—no normal-size legs would fit back there—and the steering wheel is the perfect shape and size for your hands. This is your perfect car. You’ve just focused on the details of your car (well, okay, my car).
Take advantage of manifestation for business. You can manifest what you want by tuning in to your intuition. Use your clairvoyance to look ahead and see what would happen if you were successful. Use clairaudience to ask for some instruction on what best suits you. Possibly more prevalently, use clairsentience to help you tune in to how your business ideas feel to you. Often times what happens is you’ve gotten stuck trying to see past the brick wall you’ve constructed on your path. You can just go around it instead of trying to force your way through it. In other words, you can do it the hard way and bang your head against the wall or do it the easy way by manifesting.
Try This!
Vision Board to Focus
Your Energy on What You Want
Much the same way we visualized my car, you can visualize a new business and use that to manifest it. We visualize what we want in great detail, and, actually, we can create our vision externally, not just in our imagination, by making a vision board. A vision board is a compilation of images from magazines, pictures, or drawings. Anything that assembles your wishes, hopes, and desires can serve as your vision board. For example, if you want to create a vision board for the upcoming year, you may include pictures of beaches or foreign lands, books, wedding dresses, and money. These may represent your desire to travel, relax, read or write, find a significant other to marry, and make lots of money. (It’s been my experience that money is pretty much always on everyone’s vision board in one way or another!) Your vision board can include everything you want to manifest, including a new business, and is the best way to really take it from your imagination to a more physical level, something you can look at in great detail.
Often, people find it easier to “create” rather than simply ask for something. By making a vision board, you have something tangible you can hold on to. You have given a great deal of thought to what you want and are putting it out there for the world to see. More so, you’ve gathered together a multitude of wishes all in one space, and it’s something you can easily look at.
By collecting all of it onto your board, you are in a way explaining to the universe just about everything you want to create over the next twelve months or so. I usually make vision boards around the turn of the new year with the expectation that what I desire will come to be at some point during that time frame. Nine times out of ten I won’t get everything because I have a lot on my board, but the mere act of conceptualizing this and putting it out there opens me to the infinite possibilities of getting what I want. You can do the same. Don’t be surprised that you don’t get everything. Think about it this way. If you have a myriad of wants and desires, you are not focusing all your attention on everything. More likely, you’ve chosen one or two things that are important, and the universe can feel that.
Regardless of the time of year, go ahead and assemble your own vision board. Gather a bunch of old magazines and pictures. Get some leftover craft supplies from your kids’ last project. Collect your markers and crayons. Have some glitter and ribbon on standby as well. There is no limit to what you can use to put your vision board together.
There are basically two different ways to construct your manifestation piece. The first is to know exactly what you want on your board and go through your supplies to find pictures or stuff to represent it on your board. The second is to start looking through the magazines and see what strikes your fancy. What jumps out at you? Both methods work equally well, and I recommend combining the two. You generally know what you want, so searching through everything to find it is a great way to start. Then, looking through the stuff with no specific direction can open you up to ideas or things you may not have even realized you wanted or may have overlooked.
For example, I am an author—I know, it’s redundant to state but significant. I didn’t think about putting books on my last vision board until I saw a picture of a pile of books. That got me thinking—how many more books, if any, did I want to write? It did get my juices flowing and opened me up to the possibility that I would conceivably write more!
How about you? What do you want on your vision board? Is it money? Is it a new job? How about that new car? What about landing that new deal? Or a trip to Greece? Gather different representations of possible business ventures you’re thinking of establishing. You can even reinvent yourself on your board to be the person you desperately want to be. The sky is the virtual limit. There is no holding you back now.
Use symbolism as well. Imagine Steve Jobs making a vision board so many years ago with only an apple on it. Wow, how powerful that can be. Use symbols to represent what you want to pull into your life and what’s important to you currently as well as in the future. Only you know what that may be and what is good for you. If you are trying to move up in your company, think about what that would look like symbolically, and then put that on your vision board. Determining that you want to travel more, and do it in first class, can also be represented on your display through symbolism. If you want to speak to large audiences, possibly a big microphone is what needs to be part of your vision. If you want to run a company with a lot of employees, maybe you can paste on images of minions. The only boundaries you have when creating your very own personal vision board is the amount of stuff you can actually fit on it.
Whether you are manifesting in your personal life or you are doing it for your professional achievements, you’ve just absorbed many ways to create a life you’ll love. If you are looking for 100 percent security and absolute gains, taking advantage of your ability to manifest will help you on your way. What can be better than creating something from nothing? That’s manifestation at its core. After you begin using these methods, you will instantly benefit.
There is nothing wrong with using every possible means you can to build a life you want and expecting that you absolutely can! Positive manifestation can only happen when you don’t block it. Fundamentally, we as humans are not flawless, nor are we flawed, though sometimes we have a tendency to hinder our own progress. We are learning how to work with our energy to create our best possible outcome in every situation. We have to step out of our comfort zone to reach those outcomes and take risks, but not without checking in with our vibes.
8. Steve Jobs, Stanford University Commencement Address, June 12, 2005, https://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/.